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Almost exactly nine years ago, I made a hasty dash into a pet store on the way home from the shelter, with a seven-week-old confused puppy safely tucked into a travel crate in the back of the car. We needed everything – bed, bowls, leash, chew toys – to keep her safe and occupied for at least two months of rehabilitative ‘house arrest’ to heal from three broken toes.
At the time, musing over the most eco-friendly dog bed just wasn’t an option. But, with age comes wisdom and now that this mischievous and adorable pup (yes, we’re a ‘foster fail’!) is in need of a new bed, preferably one with a little extra support for her older bones, only the best, most eco-friendly and non-toxic dog bed will do, naturally.
Our top pick
Finding such a bed is surprisingly difficult. Ideally, a dog bed is breathable, washable, and durable, has a replaceable cover, just in case, and is good for people, planet, and pups alike, with no toxic off-gassing from where your dog spends most of their time. Oh, and hopefully it looks good too and is made by a company with good labor standards. It was a Great Dane-sized order, but after much digging I finally tracked down some genuinely eco-friendly dog beds, so you and your best friend can sleep soundly. Curious about the methodology we use to rate products like this? Click here to view our methodology, which at its core, is about voting with our dollars to fight climate change.
Below, you’ll find our rankings for the best eco-friendly dog beds. We believe every bed on this list is a smart buy. Note that the best choice for your situation might not be the bed we ranked the highest, so pay attention to the differentiating features between them instead of taking our rankings at face value.
Essentia Kingston Dog Bed
Highlights: Organic, dioxin free, toxin free, Vegan-friendly natural latex foam mattress with a soft cotton cover for super snuggly pups – GOTS and GOLS certified. Ethical labor standards.
Made in North America, the Essentia Kingston Dog Bed has a natural latex memory foam mattress and a soft cotton cover that can be removed and washed. The bed has a SoftGrip cotton bottom, making it safe to use on all floors without scratching or sliding. The vegan-friendly bed is free from adhesives and uses the same natural rubber mattress materials as Essentia use for the beds intended for humans.
Essentia make these dog beds and their other products at a GOLS and GOTS certified factory in Canada. They take care to minimize carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions and are a very responsive company with great customer service. The beds are affordable, breathable, natural, stylish and comfortable for your pup and one of the best eco-friendly dog beds around!
Our experience with the Essentia Kingston dog bed
Our founder, John, tested the Essentia dog bed with his dog Ned. They wanted a dog bed made with all natural materials, and have been satisfied with the medium sized Essentia model for Ned, who is a 45 pound Australian labradoodle. If we had one complaint reviewing this bed, it’s that it is a bit heavy.
Another item to note: although the bed is free of dioxins and VOCs, when it’s new, your dog might not take to it right away. We found success by placing items with human smell on them to entice our dog to use the bed.
Avocado Organic Dog Bed
Highlights: Vegan-friendly organic dog bed made with renewable materials and offering orthopedic support.
We love Avocado for mattresses for humans, so we’re happy to see that the company now offers an eco-friendly dog bed! The dog bed is available in Small/Medium or Large/Extra Large and in four adorably named colors: Field of Green, Squirrel Grey, Salmon Pink, and Mailman Blue.
The Avocado Organic Dog Bed is 100% GOTS organic certified, biodegradable, and naturally hypoallergenic and antimicrobial. It is made with an inch-thick layer of 100% GOLS organic certified Dunlop latex from the company’s rubber tree farm, on top of three inches of breathable coconut husk. The latex is certfied STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, as well as eco-INSTITUT certified meaning it is certified free from toxic chemicals and pollutants, pesticides and dyes.
Dunlop latex is a firmer type of latex, offering excellent support for pups young and old. Natural latex is also hypoallergenic and antimicrobial, helping to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria, making this a great choice for dogs (and their humans) with skin sensitivities or allergies.
The mattress is covered with a waterproof inner liner made with 95% organic cotton and 5% polyurethane. It has a zippered, removable, sweat-absorbing, anti-odor, organic cotton outer cover. The bed is made without chemical adhesives (the mattress is needle tufted by hand).
The mattress comes with an optional Dog Pillow made with an organic cotton cover and canvas liner filled with buckwheat hulls. This pillow is zippered too, so you can easily add or remove filling to find the perfect squish factor for your pup to rest their head. Avocado even offers a Dog Bed Frame that is made with sustainably sourced FSC certified wood!
Prices start at around $169 on sale and the dog bed is MadeSafe certified, PETA approved, and made in Los Angeles. Avocado is a Certified B Corporation and a carbon negative business certified by Climate Neutral.
Rawganique 100% Organic Cotton Pet Bed
Highlights: 100% organic cotton dog and cat bed handmade in the USA and available in 5 colors (naturally dyed), natural and black.
Rawganique are another favorite at LeafScore thanks to their commitment to making eco-friendly, safe, non-toxic household products in an ethical way. Their Sesame 100% Organic Cotton Pet Bed is no exception. These beds are 4 inches thick at the center, taper towards the edges and are free from polyester, fire retardants, and other off-gassing chemicals that could have adverse health effects on your pup.
The bed is available as an insert alone or as the cover alone. The cover is strong and durable 100% USA organic cotton twill cover in 5 colors and dye-free Natural and Black. The fill is 100% certified organic cotton batting, and the whole bed is handmade sweatshop-free in the USA and dioxin-free, formaldehyde-free, fire retardant-free, chemical-free, and sweatshop-free.
The Rawganique Sesame Organic Cotton Dog & Cat Pet Bed is made to order, so allow 2-3 weeks for production and another week or so in transit, under normal conditions.
OMI Organic Pet Bed
Highlights: Dog and cat bed made in the USA from organic cotton and buckwheat hulls, with natural Talalay rubber, ideal for pets and companions with multiple chemical sensitivity.
OMI (Organic Mattress Inc.) is an exemplary company making mattresses for humans and animal companions alike (we especially like their crib mattresses). Their pet beds are made in the USA at the company’s own factory where workers are asked to be smoke-free and scent-free and no toxic chemicals are allowed on site. The beds themselves are free from polyurethane foam, chemical flame retardants, formaldehyde, anti-fungicides, pesticide-treated cotton or other harmful chemicals.
So, what is in these dog beds? Certified organic cotton, organically-grown buckwheat hulls, and a Talalay 100% natural rubber ring that helps form the sides. The inner cushion is filled with certified organic cotton and buckwheat hulls, sewn inside two separate chambers to help keep them contained. The cover is made with 7-ounce weight color grown (dye-free) certified organic cotton canvas and a brass zipper closure.
The two-chamber inner-fill design also lets your pup move between the cooler buckwheat side on hot summer nights and the cotton-filled cozy side for chilly winter snoozes. And, because we all know how dogs like to circle and circle and circle before settling down to sleep, the buckwheat hulls are perfect for letting them nest and customize to their hearts’ delight.
OMI dog beds are GreenGuard certified, and the covers are removable and machine washable (line dry or low heat dry). The beds are available in small, medium, and large sizes measuring 22 x 22 inches, 31 x 35 inches, and 40 x 51 inches, respectively. You can also buy new covers or inserts as needed.
P.L.A.Y.
Highlights: Build-your-own bed system using upcycled textiles from an eco-minded B Corp using FSC certified paper tags and packaging.
P.L.A.Y. is a certified B Corporation (one of the first in the pet industry) and is committed to making more eco-friendly pet products and pushing the industry as a whole forward. Their dog beds are made with PlanetFill® recycled plastic bottle polyfiber and they estimate they’ve saved close to three million bottles from going into landfill. They also offer a Fill-a-Bed and Change-a-Cover system where you get the cover and a stuff-sack to fill with your own textiles.
The company also tries to minimize packaging and uses FSC certified paper. They’re a Green America Green Business, pay their workers fairly, donate 2% of profits to various charities, donate beds to homeless pets in need, host senior dog adoption events, and donate to human-oriented charities too.
The P.L.A.Y. dog bed covers are a bit more varied than those from Molly Mutt and other outfits, given that they’re largely designed by artists in San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles, making for some rather unique dog décor.
Again, the key downside with these beds is that they’re not made with organic cotton or other organic materials, and the recycled plastic is still a source of undesirable chemicals that aren’t great for people, pups, or the planet.
The Futon Shop Natural Pet Mattress
Highlights: Organic cotton, Dunlop latex, coconut coir, and wool dog bed with removable waterproof cover, handmade in the US.
The Natural Pet Mattress from the Futon Shop is handcrafted in San Francisco from organic cotton, natural Dunlop latex, extra firm natural coconut fiber coir infused with natural latex, and wool from sheep raised in the US.
There are four main options for mattress construction, namely:
- Coconut and wool filling
- Latex and wool filling
- Organic cotton filling
- Pure wool filling
Wool is an excellent temperature regulator and is naturally water repellent and a good repellent of pests, helping to keep your dog’s mattress hygienic and a happy place to be, summer or winter. This dog bed also has a durable Outdura mattress cover that can handle some scrabbling, is water resistant, and is easy to care for and clean. It’s not fully waterproof, though.
The Natural Pet Mattress is non-returnable, non-refundable, and non-exchangeable, but I’m pretty sure your dog will love it.
Right now, mattresses are on a whopping 35% off sale, so it’s a great time to buy. You can pick up a small mattress from just $59.90 and a large mattress will cost around $98.80. You can also contact the Futon Shop for custom-made mattresses, say if you have an Irish Wolfhound in need of a new place to rest their giant head.
Molly Mutt
Highlights: A great idea to keep old clothes out of landfill, but a shame they don’t use organic cotton for their dog bed covers and stuff-sacks.
Molly Mutt is a small company aiming to make a big difference by making dog beds with, well, less. They got their start when co-founder Molly, living in San Francisco, became sick and tired of trucking loads of laundry, including her dog’s bed, up and down the hill to the laundromat. So, she decided to create a stuff-sack and dog bed cover that she could fill up with old clothes she would otherwise throw out.
These days, Molly Mutt offer almost eco-friendly dog bed covers in at least 25 designs, to fit a range of décor styles. The beds have a zipper closure on one end and 5-inch gusset with piping top and bottom to keep the bed in shape.
These build-your-own style beds give your old clothes, pillows, or other soft textiles a second purpose and save you the hassle of having to find a textile recycling facility. Molly Mutt’s concept of using the consumers own home textiles for the filling means an overwhelming greenhouse gas savings and positive impact on landfills. And the beauty of this system is that if your dog does what dogs are wont to do and you need to wash the bed, you can just take everything out and wash it like regular laundry. Many dog beds just can’t go in the wash, so big accidents might make them unsalvageable. Not so with Molly Mutt’s beds.
Another advantage to this type of bed is that you can adjust the fill according to your dog’s needs. So, if your pup needs a little more support in their later years, you can add firmer fill. Or, if your pup likes a thinner bed in summer, you can remove a few items to help them stay cool. You can also create a cool bed by putting an old towel in the freezer overnight and then stuff it in the stuff sack on a hot day. And, of course, these beds make for super easy travel.
My only real gripe with this bed is that the company hasn’t gone that one extra step toward eco-friendliness by using organic cotton. Conventional cotton is one of the most heavily polluting textiles, using tons of pesticides for production. An organic cotton option for the cover and stuff sack would bump this up to 5 leaves, so fingers crossed Molly Mutt learn some new tricks.
Harry Barker
Highlights: Stylish hemp dog bed cover filled with quilted polyfiber from recycled plastics that can be monogrammed!
Harry Barker make a variety of dog beds and other pet products, some of which are eco-friendly. Their best option by far is the Grain Sack dog bed cover made from hemp with a mattress insert made from recycled plastic bottles. Available in Large, Medium, and Small, ranging from $80 for the small bed cover or $160 for the cover and insert to $100 for the Large bed cover and $200 for cover and insert, these beds can be monogrammed for dogs who take ownership of their bed very seriously.
Harry Barker use a variety of upcycled and recycled materials in products, and use azo-free dyes, in addition to donating to a handful of charities. They also have a somewhat eco-friendly Tweed dog bed cover made with a mix of jute and polyester (View Price on Amazon).
Beco Pets Donut Bed
Highlights: Stuffed with polyfiber made from recycled bottles, with a hemp and cotton cover, Beco Pets are a great choice for eco-friendly pups, but hard to find in the US.
Beco make some of my favorite eco-friendly dog toys, but they are a UK brand and a bit hard to track down in the US. If you do happen upon a Beco bed though, it’s a good choice for eco-conscious canines. Made with up to 90% recycled plastic bottles and a hemp cover, the Beco bed is naturally somewhat antibacterial and odor-resistant and is also machine washable and durable.
These beds have double stitching, thick padding, and bumper sides, so your pup can get cozy easily and find the support they need, especially if they’re a bit older. Beco Pets also offer a mattress style dog bed for pups who don’t like to be contained.
Nest Bedding
Highlights: Comfy, bolstered dog bed made in California with non-absorbent recycled plastic bottle fill and cotton canvas cover without dyes.
Nest Bedding extend their product range to animal companions with their Bolstered Dog Bed. Super comfy and a tad slouchy (which can make the beds feel a bit lopsided), the Nest dog bed is filled with non-absorbent fibers made from 100% recycled plastic waste. The cotton canvas cover is, unfortunately, made with conventional not organic cotton, but it is free from dyes and the beds are handmade in California.
Available in small, medium, and large sizes, the beds are machine washable on a gentle cycle and can be hung to dry.
Nest also offer a wool dog bed but there are no details available about the construction of this bed. And, given that Nest like to go in for a bit of greenwashing, touting their CertiPUR synthetic memory foam as eco-friendly, for instance, I can’t recommend the wool bed without seeing more details (and have asked for such).
Final thoughts
Well, there you have it – our top picks for organic dog beds. No two pups are exactly the same, but the list we’ve compiled above is full of brands that align with our values and respect the planet just as much as we love our furry family members.
Good luck!
Thank you for the awesome list and for caring about these issues enough to write about them!
Thanks for writing this. My only comment is that the price of eco beds is always very high .so the number of people able to make that choice is limited. However!! There must be someone out there who’s come up wigh a home made eco solution that’s affordable and everyone can do.
Im all about eco and have lived sustainabley minded for 28 years.But I beleive it should be an accessible choice for all income brackets . Not a luxury choice.
Is recycled plastic bottles filling chemical free?
Hi Janice,
In short, no. Recycled plastic is still plastic, it’s just more eco-friendly than virgin plastic. Recycled polyester is arguably less toxic than polyurethane foam, however, as polyester is fairly inert (non-reactive) and doesn’t off-gas or produce toxic dust to the same degree as polyurethane foam typically used in dog beds.
Hope that helps,
Leigh
Sadly, your first recommendation isn’t eco-friendly at all as it contains memory foam (see website description). Memory foam is made from petroleum and is notorious for off-gassing toxins. 🙁
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for commenting! I was a bit perplexed by Essentia’s use of the term ‘memory foam’ at first too. Their foam is actually natural latex foam, with no petroleum in sight, thankfully!
Hope this helps,
Leigh